Less Beef, More Tempeh: Veggie Grill opens in Hillsboro, OR

In the past six months, Veggie Grill has opened the first of four restaurants in the Pacific Northwest, and three are non-surprisingly in the Portland metro area. Our city may be considered a bubble, but if this bubble is representative of the changes coming to the rest of the US and beyond, as it sometimes is, the popularity of veganism is in luck.

A few years ago, when I first visited a Veggie Grill in Irvine, CA, I never imagined I’d one day see a location take over a prime Carl’s Jr location in downtown, Portland – just next door to my then office building. I suppose I thought of it as this crazy California-vegan bubble, which to be fair, was different from my own, in Portland. Fast forward, and here they are. As vegan living and dining enter the mainstream elsewhere, Veggie Grill has become it own vegan Portland mainstay, in a community whose awareness has certainly reached out and garnered attention on its own already. Bubble this, bubble that!

Like the Beaverton locale, the brand new Veggie Grill has opened up smack dab in the middle of another suburban hell, I mean, shopping center (Tanasbourne Village), and while it’s a commute for those of us in metro area – again, we do have one downtown – it’s a vegan fast casual restaurant that’s taken the place of another awful meat-dependent chain, and will certainly open the eyes of some curious sixteen year olds and their parents, alike. And more. With its familiar yet revolutinary menu, Veggie Grill makes room for even more plant-based options and success (and understanding) in family homes and restaurants, all over.

And now, the food:

The lights beckon…

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Behold, B-Wing Salad

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Chill Out Wings

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Booth-side

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Huzzah

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Tempeh-hey-hey

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Bali Bliss Burger with Blackened Tempeh

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Finale

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…with pudding so good, you can make it through a suburban parking lot.

Disclaimer:This Veggie Grill sneak peek was a complimentary, special invite dinner. I’ve come to like them a lot and wanted to share the experience, especially for those who live or work in the Hillsboro area.